Interesting, I didn't get that vibe at all when watching Phil's review of his newest Les Paul. Quite the opposite, actually. During the unboxing you could see he was trying to hide his disappointment when the knob's top fell off. As for the review, it was pretty much mandatory since so many viewers knew he had it and wanted his honest thoughts. The scratch on the neck, the pickup rings that prevent the action from being lowered, the crappy knob, the little finish issues, all of these things begin to add up. I don't think many of us would accept that quality on a Les Paul Studio :) Phil is a stand up guy, one of the good ones. He's handled enough guitars to know when things don't add up.
I agree. Basically the R0 didn't hold up against his six year old R9. Why keep something that is inferior to what you've already got? Especially when you consider the price of these things. As Phil stated in his video, the scratch was under the clear coat, so this was down to Gibson. Not really the shops fault but on the other hand you'd think they go over something at this price point with a fine tooth comb before sending it out. If I'd stumped up that kind of cash all those little things would've bugged me and sullied the whole experience.
I was mainly surprised he didn't notice the to me at least, blatant scratch on the back. Given the fact that the pictures clearly showed it I found that to be the biggest reason Dave and I even really started talking about it at all. This wasn't made it to insult Phil or anything like that, I just found the entire situation to be somewhat out of character and I was left slightly confused by a few things. At the end of the day here, the only people that deserve to be given shit are in fact Gibson themselves. To your point about not accepting little issues, people spend more than that happily on guitars that look like they have screwdrivers driven into them, paint chipped off or miscolored, and basiclaly sanded off necks entirely 🤣. Nothing surprises me anymore with this market.
Phil said he was going to buy another guitar from that store soon to try and help make up for the return. I think he was just giving his honest criticism, plus I think it helps future buyers know what to look for. PS I'm not a fanboy of Phil, just the way I viewed it personally.
I know Phil isn't a dirtbag, I am sure he has bought a ton from them and will continue to do so. I actually really like Phil, and the reason why I wanted to talk about this is because I like him as a whole. he provides an honest opinion that he stands by and I respect that he isn't just shilling brand new guitars when they release that are provided to him like so many other "bigger" channels too... that being said I don't want to talk about those kinds of channels I don't like as much because it will be negative you know what I mean? I just thought it was out of form for Phil to not see the scratch on this particular guitar, because to me it stuck out like a sore thumb. At the end of the day Gibson are the ones at fault here, it really sucks but they haven't done nearly enough of what they've promised. As much as I love my new LP standard, I can say I really don't have a desire to buy another one. If I really want another Les Paul Custom I will purchase a Navigator from Japan at some point, they make the best Les Pauls in the world imho.
Long time listener of Phil. Prob 5 years idk. He's honestly my favorite yt guy. I have the opposite problem with the actual knobs. I switch to a different color and can't get them off. Actually broke several trying.
The tone knob of my new LP std 50s wont stay on 🤣 Phil is one of the good guys, the people to be disappointed and angry with are in fact Gibson themselves.
Also FYI the videos we wanna see are your wife's reactions to you learning to sing Mariah as best as possible, maybe Taylor Swift too - now THOSE are reaction videos 😂😂😂. really interesting points on singing though genuinely from both of you recently. I need to get back into it at some point but trying to improve at my instrument is taking enough of my time so not sure the world needs to hear my voice haha
@@AudiomoMusic 😂😂😂 yeah I didn’t consider the flip side I was just imagining the facial expressions and sheer anger plus you just seriously belting out Mariah while that was happening 😂😂😂
I've been following Phil for about 4 years now, and I have to believe it was an oversight, due to his being ill for the previous several weeks. To my mind his veracity is greater than Gibson's, Ya buy online, you take that chance. Peace & congrats Dave on the upgrade.
We're on the same page here, nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes... i happen to think he didn't look closely enough at the pictures before clicking that buy now button. There's no way I could see him purchasing this guitar KNOWING it had that flaw.
@@AudiomoMusic A couple years ago this other UA-camr called the Guitoligist took an issue with Phil when he bought a Fender American Deluxe Telecaster from Sweetwater. Phil returned it for issues that I could only discern as setup problems. I could only agree with the Brad the Guitologist when he profiled Phil as a pain in the ass customer. The funny thing is Brad and Phil both owned music stores and know how to do setups. For the problems Phil stated with the guitar he could have easily fixed IF he wanted the guitar. Most of us have been in the same position that we have bought a guitar that we really like but it needs to be set up. I think Phil just had buyers remorse. Anyway it is entertaining watching their videos on this purchase.
Poor QC is not just limited to Gibson. Years ago Fender went through several bad patches of damaged or badly finished guitars reaching customers. I rejected a Custom Shop Strat due to very poor QC after waiting nearly 2 years for it, the replacement was perfect, but that took another 9 months. What i find annoying is when the damage is so obvious, but you are still expected to buy it! no thanks my money is not damaged. QC with any guitar seems to start when a customer complains, which is too late once you have seen the damage.
You're completely correct, and I'm actually going to be talking in depth about the story of Fender Custom Shop actually making things WORSE after three mistakes for a guitar I currently own...
he discovered the scratch was finished over it was hard to see from pictures but it showed that someone knew they scratched and finished it over anyway and final QC checks should have picked it up but that was the main thing it was a scratch under the finish
That scratch was very easy to see, and Phil isn't exactly an everyday guitar buyer... this was completely out of the norm for him, I bet you 99/100 times he would have noticed it but this time he didn't. Dave and I agreed really the entire debacle was Gibsons fault to begin with, it sucks they constantly have flaws like these.
How do you know he already knew there was a scratch? From watching his video it didn’t seem like he knew. He also wouldn’t do that. He’s not that kinda guy.
I'm not saying he knew, I'm saying he clearly didn't look at the pictures provided closely enough is my guess to see it. It's blatantly visible in the picture the shop provided for him before he purchased it.
Have a 2020 Les Paul Standard and a 2021 Slash signature in Novemberburst and both are totally bang on in quality...both are heavy 9.5lb and over 10lb respectively but that wouldn't bother me.
The only color code for the Slash line that I knew of was the Anaconda bust, I have to say - Novemberburst is an amazing and appropriate name 🤣 You're one of the lucky ones Paul glad you are really happy with both!
Nobody said that? However when making a substantial purpose you'd better believe I am going over every thing with a fine toothed comb, and i'm not rich enough to not do so with an almost seven thousand dollar instrument where the pictures provided clearly showed me a scratch that would have immediately made it a hard pass from me.
I mean, I'm definitely not a Gibson apologist (despite me really liking the ones I have and have owned). One thing I would say is I agree with you Jim on this video. But also, I think at this point due to their continually poor PR it's now just the done thing/good for clicks to hate on Gibson. I've played numerous Fenders in the past year with dodgy electronics, not great fretwork, marks and scratches. I've played PRS's (and this surprised me the most) with comparatively smaller issues but stuff like the tone knob making absolutely no difference whatsoever and the volume knob being 10- 2- off essentially in use and a couple of other odd imperfections (but generally they are much more consistent) It got me to thinking - not that its an excuse for anyone, especially on high price items, but is this a supply and demand issue? Fender and Gibson especially have made numerous comments about struggling to keep up with demand and I wonder if this is a product of rushing to get things out the door to meet order/supplier demand? It may not be - but definitely a thinker. Like I say at this point Fender mess up and generally the comments sections are 'thats unusual/a quirk/try this' from what I've seen but with Gibson its a 'oh they don't care, they're a rip off' etc etc and more of a negative space so I'm wondering if at this point its just also an easier way to get engagement to be harsher to them, especially with their recent history? One thing I will say is its good things can be sent back and why its always best trying guitars yourself first/at least viewing listings and discussing with the seller properly (but appreciate Phill had been ill so could be a rare oversight - I don't know enough to comment there so nothing against him!) I have my 2020 Firebird and honestly its up there with the highest quality guitars I've ever played, including core PRS and a multitude of Fenders, but I was lucky enough to try and inspect it myself before purchase. Same with my Jazzmaster - incredible quality instrument (except for one small change I had to make as for some reason the knobs were at 5 when you looked at them - even though they were actually at 10 was just misaligned) Great pod as ever guys!
It has to be the PR, because I've had a LOT of issues with Fender from every single one of their factories EXCEPT the Japanese one or the custom shop. I've had two thousand dollar brand new USA Fenders come with DOA electronics, mediocre fretwork and leveling, scratches... mexican and chinese models forget it. Fender did such a imho half assed job with the Paranormal series of guitars they don't even consistently cut the neck pocket correctly to spec when even cheap knock off import bodies do that - meaning you could never upgrade the neck on those guitars without modifying the neck pocket itself which should never be an issue. The reason Gibson gets more is because the people who have recently been out in front have had almost a tangible arrogance and in general pretty unlikable way of presenting themselves while making promotional content for the brand. People seem to be much more forgiving of Fender, PRS, etc because they don't have this problem, PRS more so because Paul is the ideal CEO and builder in terms of how he communicates with the community so it really helps his brand and cause.
@@AudiomoMusic Yeah exactly this! I mean I enjoy some of the Gibson TV content when its genuine enthusiasm from players etc. but the stuff where they sit on the sofa and talk about the brand and some of the lawsuit stuff and things they say - its more a 'how you say it' deal thats rough and I get why people find that unlikable. Paul is absolutely fantastic - that said in some interviews he can come across wrong how he talks over people etc though I think that may be for other reasons/general excitement sometimes so i guess it just depends how people interpret things! But yeah, in truth I've had more issues over the years with Fender than Gibson guitars, just in my experience, so have been extra careful in finding ones I love that have the sound and playability I want but that PR thing seems to have really built/cultivated a situation where its easier to hate them. Kind of a Man Utd thing over here in the premier league - the arrogance even when they aren't as good that they are still the 'best' just because of their name and brand makes the media go in on them even more, and other areas of the media defend/excuse them of things even more - I guess there's multiple sides to a big name and how you build and maintain that brand etc - is quite an interesting conversation point though a far wider one haha!
I have proof that Gibson sold Epiphone parts as Gibson parts. I needed a new black, silver insert, top hat knob for my 2010 Gibson SG Standard. I went to the music store (this was in about 2013 so the "specs change over time" excuse was highly unlikely) and bought a set of Gibson "Genuine Parts" knobs sealed on a rack mount blister card. When I put one of the knobs on my SG I noticed it didn't match, the font on the silver insert didn't match. The white numbers were less defined and didn't line up the same with the insert. On closer inspection I found out this set of replacement knobs were a perfect match for the knobs on an Epiphone Casino that I own. To say I was not satisfied with this purchase is an understatement. I also posted this revelation with a picture on the Gibson forum and there was no response from Gibson. I will post the picture on the Audiomo Music Discord. Buyer beware.
You can file this under least surprising thing I've heard. I forget who it was in the discord but they said Gibson wouldn't even offer them a replacement pickup screw or even respond to a dealers inquiry for it on new guitar that shipped without one. Crazy stuff honestly.
@@AudiomoMusic I just called Gibson tech support and the guy hung up on me. Details in Discord. They don't have to be like that. Once I got a typed letter from Marshall in England to a question I had about speaker cabinet impedance with my JCM800 2210 head. Of the 3 Guild guitars I bought in the '90s only the X-170 archtop had an issue. They forgot one of the gold screws for tailpiece. I wrote a letter and sent them a Polaroid (this was before everyone had computers) and they promptly sent me the missing screw.
In the last three years I bought like 4 or 5 Gibson form 2018 and 2019.. Les Paul , SG etc.. not entry levels . I returned them all . All this vibe that has been going on in the last two years about Gibson being back to its old glory is all a lie. A lot of youtubers are either paid or been given guitars just for reviews... Nowadays Gibson still sucks. I d rather buy used Gibson guitars from the 90s up to 2006 Just look at the color and the grain of the new fretboards .. Really enjoy your channel . Congrats to both of you guys
For as great as my Standard 50's LP is, I've played maybe 10 recent Gibsons before it that I wouldn't have even considered buying for one reason or another. It took me going to imo the best Gibson dealer in the USA ( they are by far the pickiest with what they let hit the sales floor ) Wildwood Guitars in order for me to finally gamble on this one, and that was also knowing they would have my back if I didn't love it or if it had problems. The crappy thing about those 90's Gibsons, people figured out how good they are. Real ebony boards even on studios, the rare studio lite models that were killers, those era standards were all amazing guitars. late 90's things started to change a bit but man... I never would have thought I'd look back so fondly on that time for Gibson.
@@AudiomoMusic 90s studio with ebony fingerboard are really great . Newer Gibson don't have the feel that this 90s Gibson have . I have an SG special from 1994 , the frets are still playable , ,the neck doesn't move . The feel of the fretboard and the neck is on another level
Honestly speaking ... if you buy a NEW car, are you gonna trust the QC, or are you gonna ask for various pictures to better define the possible defects? Imho if it's not listed as a B-Stock I should not even worry about finish blemishes, scratches, etc... because that's how a high volume manufacturer should work. Having these kind of problems, repeatedly, just shows poor effort on the management side, and cast a shadow over other features of the guitar building process. If QC is missing so many problems at the end-of-line, how many did they skip on the early/middle stages of production? (which was indeed the case of Phillip's video)
Gibson are completely to blame for shipping this guitar out in the first place, I completely agree. However when it comes to Gibson and the car analogy, because of this horrible reputation they have earned themselves I go out of my way to inspect every single picture available and if there is something not pictured I kindly ask to have it pictured because that's just how this brand operates. Is that ridiculous? Maybe to some, but I've simply seen too many of these with issues like what Phil has and I would be willing to wager Phil has seen even more of them first hand than I have... so I have to question why he wouldn't have taken a closer look because that was an obvious finish flaw visible in the pictures he got. At the end of the day here, I'm really happy I don't have any desire to buy another Gibson instrument because stuff like this happens entirely too often with them. It's also the main reason I almost never purchase Gibsons to resell and stick to Fender Japan, too much risk involved with the QC from Gibson. Good to see you Mike, thanks for the comment.
@@AudiomoMusic I do understand your position, and I can agree. But at the end of the day, Gibson put itself in the spotlight. And honestly speaking it looks like itself is not making any real effort in changing the PERCEPTION of the why's it's in the spotlight. I say "percetion" because for sure each and every little issue that's on a Gibson, it's tenfold greater than another brand in the public eye. "0 scrap" it's the goal for each and every manufacturing company. That's really hard to achieve, but in this case we're talking about what's supposed to be the top notch of Gibson production. I don't know if it's scarier to think they willingly let it pass, or they just didn't see it. Talking about Phillip ... there's the chance I purchased the item knowingly just to make a vid about it, but I don't wanna think ill of people, so I won't. Anyone is innocent until proven guilty. The only good Gibson, for me, is a second hand one. And sometimes the Japanes lawsuit are still better, pound fo pound 😁
I don't think Phil did anything with bad intentions, I just think he didn't really look as much as you unfortunately have to when buying a high end Gibson. You're right though, and dI was telling the people in the discord this... if I ever want another Gibson style instrument I'm just going to stick with MIJ. The MIJ 335 I have was a 5th of a Gibson ES335 and has literally zero finish flaws and plays INCREDIBLY. MIJ is the way to go for reliability!
He said that it was 6.7k but the scratch was under the finish so it was hard to tell. On the live stream he talked about it around 13 minutes and said very much the shop was great and treated him super well. The Shop is Moore Guitars and they were really good about it, and sorry about not noticing it too. For any one sorry for the shop can go buy from it. I like Phill, I am part of the McKnight cult :P Also I checked and the pictures are not great. Hey has also mentioned he had stopped due the liners test for a while.
I like Phil, but it has to be acknowledged that he spent a substantial amount of money without really checking out the pictures that were provided to him. That wasn't hidden very well at all imho, the scratch was extremely apparent based on the pictures he showed that the shop provided. Some people have told me that he was recently pretty sick, maybe that kind of impacted his attention to detail in this ( regarding inspecting all the pictures prior to purchase)? I just found the whole thing extremely interesting as just a viewer.
@@AudiomoMusic I just disagree that the onus is on the buyer. There are buyers rights here at least that a seller must declare the condition of an item accurately. And from what he said on the stream he only noticed after the fact the scratch. I guess he shoots videos over days or whatever 😅 specially at the price of a running car .
In a scenario where the buyer is provided full detailed pictures in high quality like that, it is on him to an extent to inspect them ESPECIALLY at this price and knowing Gibsons track record that he himself is fully aware of. I believe he was fully within his rights to return the guitar but at the end of the day, if he had took more time to actually look at the pictures the scratch is clear as day and the entire experience would have been avoided. I like Phil, I've said that in the past even on this channel. He's one of the only guitar review/demo people I can watch but I can't help but think he just didn't go over the assets that were given to him fully and when you're spending that much money on something , for me at least, I would be blaming myself for not noticing something that is so obvious.
Interesting, I didn't get that vibe at all when watching Phil's review of his newest Les Paul. Quite the opposite, actually. During the unboxing you could see he was trying to hide his disappointment when the knob's top fell off. As for the review, it was pretty much mandatory since so many viewers knew he had it and wanted his honest thoughts. The scratch on the neck, the pickup rings that prevent the action from being lowered, the crappy knob, the little finish issues, all of these things begin to add up. I don't think many of us would accept that quality on a Les Paul Studio :)
Phil is a stand up guy, one of the good ones. He's handled enough guitars to know when things don't add up.
I agree. Basically the R0 didn't hold up against his six year old R9. Why keep something that is inferior to what you've already got? Especially when you consider the price of these things.
As Phil stated in his video, the scratch was under the clear coat, so this was down to Gibson. Not really the shops fault but on the other hand you'd think they go over something at this price point with a fine tooth comb before sending it out. If I'd stumped up that kind of cash all those little things would've bugged me and sullied the whole experience.
I was mainly surprised he didn't notice the to me at least, blatant scratch on the back. Given the fact that the pictures clearly showed it I found that to be the biggest reason Dave and I even really started talking about it at all.
This wasn't made it to insult Phil or anything like that, I just found the entire situation to be somewhat out of character and I was left slightly confused by a few things. At the end of the day here, the only people that deserve to be given shit are in fact Gibson themselves.
To your point about not accepting little issues, people spend more than that happily on guitars that look like they have screwdrivers driven into them, paint chipped off or miscolored, and basiclaly sanded off necks entirely 🤣. Nothing surprises me anymore with this market.
Phil said he was going to buy another guitar from that store soon to try and help make up for the return. I think he was just giving his honest criticism, plus I think it helps future buyers know what to look for.
PS I'm not a fanboy of Phil, just the way I viewed it personally.
I know Phil isn't a dirtbag, I am sure he has bought a ton from them and will continue to do so. I actually really like Phil, and the reason why I wanted to talk about this is because I like him as a whole. he provides an honest opinion that he stands by and I respect that he isn't just shilling brand new guitars when they release that are provided to him like so many other "bigger" channels too... that being said I don't want to talk about those kinds of channels I don't like as much because it will be negative you know what I mean? I just thought it was out of form for Phil to not see the scratch on this particular guitar, because to me it stuck out like a sore thumb.
At the end of the day Gibson are the ones at fault here, it really sucks but they haven't done nearly enough of what they've promised. As much as I love my new LP standard, I can say I really don't have a desire to buy another one. If I really want another Les Paul Custom I will purchase a Navigator from Japan at some point, they make the best Les Pauls in the world imho.
Long time listener of Phil. Prob 5 years idk. He's honestly my favorite yt guy. I have the opposite problem with the actual knobs. I switch to a different color and can't get them off. Actually broke several trying.
The tone knob of my new LP std 50s wont stay on 🤣
Phil is one of the good guys, the people to be disappointed and angry with are in fact Gibson themselves.
@@AudiomoMusic lol yeah it's odd
Also FYI the videos we wanna see are your wife's reactions to you learning to sing Mariah as best as possible, maybe Taylor Swift too - now THOSE are reaction videos 😂😂😂. really interesting points on singing though genuinely from both of you recently. I need to get back into it at some point but trying to improve at my instrument is taking enough of my time so not sure the world needs to hear my voice haha
Are you trying to get me killed
@@AudiomoMusic 😂😂😂 yeah I didn’t consider the flip side I was just imagining the facial expressions and sheer anger plus you just seriously belting out Mariah while that was happening 😂😂😂
I've been following Phil for about 4 years now, and I have to believe it was an oversight, due to his being ill for the previous several weeks. To my mind his veracity is greater than Gibson's, Ya buy online, you take that chance. Peace & congrats Dave on the upgrade.
We're on the same page here, nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes... i happen to think he didn't look closely enough at the pictures before clicking that buy now button. There's no way I could see him purchasing this guitar KNOWING it had that flaw.
@@AudiomoMusic A couple years ago this other UA-camr called the Guitoligist took an issue with Phil when he bought a Fender American Deluxe Telecaster from Sweetwater. Phil returned it for issues that I could only discern as setup problems. I could only agree with the Brad the Guitologist when he profiled Phil as a pain in the ass customer. The funny thing is Brad and Phil both owned music stores and know how to do setups. For the problems Phil stated with the guitar he could have easily fixed IF he wanted the guitar. Most of us have been in the same position that we have bought a guitar that we really like but it needs to be set up. I think Phil just had buyers remorse. Anyway it is entertaining watching their videos on this purchase.
Poor QC is not just limited to Gibson.
Years ago Fender went through several bad patches of damaged or badly finished
guitars reaching customers.
I rejected a Custom Shop Strat due to very poor QC after waiting nearly 2 years for
it, the replacement was perfect, but that took another 9 months.
What i find annoying is when the damage is so obvious, but you are still expected
to buy it! no thanks my money is not damaged.
QC with any guitar seems to start when a customer complains, which is too late
once you have seen the damage.
You're completely correct, and I'm actually going to be talking in depth about the story of Fender Custom Shop actually making things WORSE after three mistakes for a guitar I currently own...
he discovered the scratch was finished over it was hard to see from pictures but it showed that someone knew they scratched and finished it over anyway and final QC checks should have picked it up but that was the main thing it was a scratch under the finish
That scratch was very easy to see, and Phil isn't exactly an everyday guitar buyer... this was completely out of the norm for him, I bet you 99/100 times he would have noticed it but this time he didn't. Dave and I agreed really the entire debacle was Gibsons fault to begin with, it sucks they constantly have flaws like these.
How do you know he already knew there was a scratch? From watching his video it didn’t seem like he knew. He also wouldn’t do that. He’s not that kinda guy.
I'm not saying he knew, I'm saying he clearly didn't look at the pictures provided closely enough is my guess to see it. It's blatantly visible in the picture the shop provided for him before he purchased it.
Regarding singing, yes all great advice, I’ll apply it to my journey
You better be posting some when you do!
Have a 2020 Les Paul Standard and a 2021 Slash signature in Novemberburst and both are totally bang on in quality...both are heavy 9.5lb and over 10lb respectively but that wouldn't bother me.
The only color code for the Slash line that I knew of was the Anaconda bust, I have to say - Novemberburst is an amazing and appropriate name 🤣
You're one of the lucky ones Paul glad you are really happy with both!
so I guess if you buy what a brand new car you still buy it dented or scratched at full price ?
Nobody said that? However when making a substantial purpose you'd better believe I am going over every thing with a fine toothed comb, and i'm not rich enough to not do so with an almost seven thousand dollar instrument where the pictures provided clearly showed me a scratch that would have immediately made it a hard pass from me.
I mean, I'm definitely not a Gibson apologist (despite me really liking the ones I have and have owned). One thing I would say is I agree with you Jim on this video. But also, I think at this point due to their continually poor PR it's now just the done thing/good for clicks to hate on Gibson.
I've played numerous Fenders in the past year with dodgy electronics, not great fretwork, marks and scratches. I've played PRS's (and this surprised me the most) with comparatively smaller issues but stuff like the tone knob making absolutely no difference whatsoever and the volume knob being 10- 2- off essentially in use and a couple of other odd imperfections (but generally they are much more consistent)
It got me to thinking - not that its an excuse for anyone, especially on high price items, but is this a supply and demand issue? Fender and Gibson especially have made numerous comments about struggling to keep up with demand and I wonder if this is a product of rushing to get things out the door to meet order/supplier demand? It may not be - but definitely a thinker.
Like I say at this point Fender mess up and generally the comments sections are 'thats unusual/a quirk/try this' from what I've seen but with Gibson its a 'oh they don't care, they're a rip off' etc etc and more of a negative space so I'm wondering if at this point its just also an easier way to get engagement to be harsher to them, especially with their recent history?
One thing I will say is its good things can be sent back and why its always best trying guitars yourself first/at least viewing listings and discussing with the seller properly (but appreciate Phill had been ill so could be a rare oversight - I don't know enough to comment there so nothing against him!) I have my 2020 Firebird and honestly its up there with the highest quality guitars I've ever played, including core PRS and a multitude of Fenders, but I was lucky enough to try and inspect it myself before purchase. Same with my Jazzmaster - incredible quality instrument (except for one small change I had to make as for some reason the knobs were at 5 when you looked at them - even though they were actually at 10 was just misaligned)
Great pod as ever guys!
It has to be the PR, because I've had a LOT of issues with Fender from every single one of their factories EXCEPT the Japanese one or the custom shop. I've had two thousand dollar brand new USA Fenders come with DOA electronics, mediocre fretwork and leveling, scratches... mexican and chinese models forget it. Fender did such a imho half assed job with the Paranormal series of guitars they don't even consistently cut the neck pocket correctly to spec when even cheap knock off import bodies do that - meaning you could never upgrade the neck on those guitars without modifying the neck pocket itself which should never be an issue.
The reason Gibson gets more is because the people who have recently been out in front have had almost a tangible arrogance and in general pretty unlikable way of presenting themselves while making promotional content for the brand. People seem to be much more forgiving of Fender, PRS, etc because they don't have this problem, PRS more so because Paul is the ideal CEO and builder in terms of how he communicates with the community so it really helps his brand and cause.
@@AudiomoMusic Yeah exactly this! I mean I enjoy some of the Gibson TV content when its genuine enthusiasm from players etc. but the stuff where they sit on the sofa and talk about the brand and some of the lawsuit stuff and things they say - its more a 'how you say it' deal thats rough and I get why people find that unlikable. Paul is absolutely fantastic - that said in some interviews he can come across wrong how he talks over people etc though I think that may be for other reasons/general excitement sometimes so i guess it just depends how people interpret things! But yeah, in truth I've had more issues over the years with Fender than Gibson guitars, just in my experience, so have been extra careful in finding ones I love that have the sound and playability I want but that PR thing seems to have really built/cultivated a situation where its easier to hate them.
Kind of a Man Utd thing over here in the premier league - the arrogance even when they aren't as good that they are still the 'best' just because of their name and brand makes the media go in on them even more, and other areas of the media defend/excuse them of things even more - I guess there's multiple sides to a big name and how you build and maintain that brand etc - is quite an interesting conversation point though a far wider one haha!
I have proof that Gibson sold Epiphone parts as Gibson parts. I needed a new black, silver insert, top hat knob for my 2010 Gibson SG Standard. I went to the music store (this was in about 2013 so the "specs change over time" excuse was highly unlikely) and bought a set of Gibson "Genuine Parts" knobs sealed on a rack mount blister card. When I put one of the knobs on my SG I noticed it didn't match, the font on the silver insert didn't match. The white numbers were less defined and didn't line up the same with the insert. On closer inspection I found out this set of replacement knobs were a perfect match for the knobs on an Epiphone Casino that I own. To say I was not satisfied with this purchase is an understatement. I also posted this revelation with a picture on the Gibson forum and there was no response from Gibson. I will post the picture on the Audiomo Music Discord. Buyer beware.
You can file this under least surprising thing I've heard. I forget who it was in the discord but they said Gibson wouldn't even offer them a replacement pickup screw or even respond to a dealers inquiry for it on new guitar that shipped without one. Crazy stuff honestly.
@@AudiomoMusic I just called Gibson tech support and the guy hung up on me. Details in Discord. They don't have to be like that. Once I got a typed letter from Marshall in England to a question I had about speaker cabinet impedance with my JCM800 2210 head. Of the 3 Guild guitars I bought in the '90s only the X-170 archtop had an issue. They forgot one of the gold screws for tailpiece. I wrote a letter and sent them a Polaroid (this was before everyone had computers) and they promptly sent me the missing screw.
In the last three years I bought like 4 or 5 Gibson form 2018 and 2019.. Les Paul , SG etc.. not entry levels .
I returned them all .
All this vibe that has been going on in the last two years about Gibson being back to its old glory is all a lie. A lot of youtubers are either paid or been given guitars just for reviews...
Nowadays Gibson still sucks.
I d rather buy used Gibson guitars from the 90s up to 2006
Just look at the color and the grain of the new fretboards ..
Really enjoy your channel . Congrats to both of you guys
For as great as my Standard 50's LP is, I've played maybe 10 recent Gibsons before it that I wouldn't have even considered buying for one reason or another. It took me going to imo the best Gibson dealer in the USA ( they are by far the pickiest with what they let hit the sales floor ) Wildwood Guitars in order for me to finally gamble on this one, and that was also knowing they would have my back if I didn't love it or if it had problems.
The crappy thing about those 90's Gibsons, people figured out how good they are. Real ebony boards even on studios, the rare studio lite models that were killers, those era standards were all amazing guitars. late 90's things started to change a bit but man... I never would have thought I'd look back so fondly on that time for Gibson.
@@AudiomoMusic 90s studio with ebony fingerboard are really great .
Newer Gibson don't have the feel that this 90s Gibson have .
I have an SG special from 1994 , the frets are still playable , ,the neck doesn't move . The feel of the fretboard and the neck is on another level
Honestly speaking ... if you buy a NEW car, are you gonna trust the QC, or are you gonna ask for various pictures to better define the possible defects?
Imho if it's not listed as a B-Stock I should not even worry about finish blemishes, scratches, etc... because that's how a high volume manufacturer should work. Having these kind of problems, repeatedly, just shows poor effort on the management side, and cast a shadow over other features of the guitar building process. If QC is missing so many problems at the end-of-line, how many did they skip on the early/middle stages of production? (which was indeed the case of Phillip's video)
Gibson are completely to blame for shipping this guitar out in the first place, I completely agree. However when it comes to Gibson and the car analogy, because of this horrible reputation they have earned themselves I go out of my way to inspect every single picture available and if there is something not pictured I kindly ask to have it pictured because that's just how this brand operates.
Is that ridiculous? Maybe to some, but I've simply seen too many of these with issues like what Phil has and I would be willing to wager Phil has seen even more of them first hand than I have... so I have to question why he wouldn't have taken a closer look because that was an obvious finish flaw visible in the pictures he got.
At the end of the day here, I'm really happy I don't have any desire to buy another Gibson instrument because stuff like this happens entirely too often with them. It's also the main reason I almost never purchase Gibsons to resell and stick to Fender Japan, too much risk involved with the QC from Gibson. Good to see you Mike, thanks for the comment.
@@AudiomoMusic I do understand your position, and I can agree. But at the end of the day, Gibson put itself in the spotlight. And honestly speaking it looks like itself is not making any real effort in changing the PERCEPTION of the why's it's in the spotlight.
I say "percetion" because for sure each and every little issue that's on a Gibson, it's tenfold greater than another brand in the public eye.
"0 scrap" it's the goal for each and every manufacturing company. That's really hard to achieve, but in this case we're talking about what's supposed to be the top notch of Gibson production. I don't know if it's scarier to think they willingly let it pass, or they just didn't see it.
Talking about Phillip ... there's the chance I purchased the item knowingly just to make a vid about it, but I don't wanna think ill of people, so I won't. Anyone is innocent until proven guilty.
The only good Gibson, for me, is a second hand one. And sometimes the Japanes lawsuit are still better, pound fo pound 😁
I don't think Phil did anything with bad intentions, I just think he didn't really look as much as you unfortunately have to when buying a high end Gibson.
You're right though, and dI was telling the people in the discord this... if I ever want another Gibson style instrument I'm just going to stick with MIJ. The MIJ 335 I have was a 5th of a Gibson ES335 and has literally zero finish flaws and plays INCREDIBLY. MIJ is the way to go for reliability!
He said that it was 6.7k but the scratch was under the finish so it was hard to tell. On the live stream he talked about it around 13 minutes and said very much the shop was great and treated him super well. The Shop is Moore Guitars and they were really good about it, and sorry about not noticing it too. For any one sorry for the shop can go buy from it. I like Phill, I am part of the McKnight cult :P
Also I checked and the pictures are not great. Hey has also mentioned he had stopped due the liners test for a while.
I like Phil, but it has to be acknowledged that he spent a substantial amount of money without really checking out the pictures that were provided to him. That wasn't hidden very well at all imho, the scratch was extremely apparent based on the pictures he showed that the shop provided.
Some people have told me that he was recently pretty sick, maybe that kind of impacted his attention to detail in this ( regarding inspecting all the pictures prior to purchase)? I just found the whole thing extremely interesting as just a viewer.
@@AudiomoMusic I just disagree that the onus is on the buyer. There are buyers rights here at least that a seller must declare the condition of an item accurately. And from what he said on the stream he only noticed after the fact the scratch. I guess he shoots videos over days or whatever 😅 specially at the price of a running car .
In a scenario where the buyer is provided full detailed pictures in high quality like that, it is on him to an extent to inspect them ESPECIALLY at this price and knowing Gibsons track record that he himself is fully aware of. I believe he was fully within his rights to return the guitar but at the end of the day, if he had took more time to actually look at the pictures the scratch is clear as day and the entire experience would have been avoided.
I like Phil, I've said that in the past even on this channel. He's one of the only guitar review/demo people I can watch but I can't help but think he just didn't go over the assets that were given to him fully and when you're spending that much money on something , for me at least, I would be blaming myself for not noticing something that is so obvious.
@@AudiomoMusic yeah